The proper identification of pipes and their contents is highly desirable. Proper identification, in addition to increasing efficiency, can prevent industrial accidents and personal injuries by making readily available important information to workers and emergency response personnel.
Governmental units, both local and national, have adopted pipe marking standards designed to promote safety. The standards usually include marking the pipes with a specific color which indicates whether or not the fluid contained therein is hazardous, gaseous, or liquid. They also may require markings that show the normal direction of flow through the pipe. The standards are intended to ensure that critical information is readily available by a simple visual inspection.
Various approaches have been tried to satisfy the requirements of those standards. One approach has been to paint the pipes the appropriate color and to paint the required information in a contrasting color directly upon the pipes. However, that approach has not been completely successful because where the pipes are rusted or covered with grease, the paint doesn't stay on the pipes. Another approach has been to paint the pipes an appropriate color and to apply pressure sensitive adhesive labels bearing the desired information directly onto the pipes. However, if the pipe gets hot, or if the pipe is dirty, the labels may not stay in place even if the paint stays on the pipe.
The most promising approach has been to attach a sign to the pipe. The sign can either be of the appropriate color or it can bear a label of the appropriate color and any desired markings. The sign is usually secured to a pipe by tape or bands or straps that pass through slots in the sign and encircle the pipe. This type of pipemarker works quite well, however, there is still room for improvement because it can be difficult to install. Furthermore, it usually requires the use of custom tapes, bands or straps.